Curator Libby Stewart said the display focuses around a significant piece of furniture.

"We have this magnificent cabinet table in our collection which was used in Melbourne at the time that the momentous decisions were made by the Cook government to go to war," she said.

"We decided to showcase that table and the Australian War Memorial have been extremely generous in loaning us some beautiful artworks that really fit in to the period of August 1914 through to the end of the year.

"So it covers those first few frantic months when decisions were made. There was also an election campaign running - in September Andrew Fisher takes over as Labor Prime Minister and the new Australian Army, the AIF, is formed."

The exhibition reflects the spirit of optimism and adventure as Australian troops prepared to join the conflict.

"Patriotic feeling for King and empire was at an absolute high during this period," Ms Stewart said.

"That's reflected very strongly in some of the artworks which show lots of British flags and flags of the empire, because Australia didn't have its own flag at that point.

"It is very much about King and empire, and unreserved enthusiasm because the war casualties hadn't started coming back. There was a real feeling of optimism right up to December 1914."

In August Cook's cabinet committed a 20,000 strong expeditionary force to support Britain, a figure which was easily achieved during the patriotic fervour.

The early successes of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force in German New Guinea, and the sinking of the German cruiser SMS Emden by HMAS Sydney on November 4 buoyed spirits.

By Christmas 1914, more than 52,000 had signed up at an enlistment rate that was never to be repeated.

The exhibition will develop over the next few years to cover the political debate and referendums on conscription in 1916 and 1917, which were called after military volunteers waned.